It must have seemed like real life imitating art when Connie Fisher – perhaps the most famous Maria since Julie Andrews – was forced to pull out of The Sound of Music due to illness.

She had been the main selling point of the show – although a musical as big as this doesn’t need much selling!

Never fear, standing in the wings was Verity Rushworth – actually, not really standing in the wings, as here was an actress who was as adept at playing Maria as Fisher, having performed the role alongside her for the best part of the year.

So how does Rushworth fair? Very well, as a matter of fact. In fact she could have been born to play this role, one of the most iconic in any musical. I loved her Maria.

The Sound of Music tells the story of the musical Von Trapp family and their flight across the Austrian mountains as World War II looms.

The unforgettable score includes some of the most memorable songs ever performed on the musical stage, including My Favourite Things, Do-Re-Mi, Climb Ev’ry Mountain, The Lonely Goatherd, and of course the title song The Sound of Music.

This of course was a huge hit when it opened in the West End (with Fisher playing Maria).

Often West End shows can be down-scaled and lose their oomph when transferred to a touring version.

Not here. This is as good as, if not better, than you could ever get in the theatre world’s capital.

The sets are lavish and the scene changes flow effortlessly.

There are tears, there is laughter and there is a fair amount of singing too – and that’s just in the audience!

This production appealed to me from the off, and it didn’t let me down.

Rushworth plays Maria with that all-important mix of naivety, kindness but determination that it so requires.

Keiron Crook as Captain Von Trapp has an exquisite voice, while Marilyn Hill Smith as The Mother Abbess provides the showstopper of the night with an outstanding rendition of Climb Ev’ry Mountain.

All seven Von Trapp children play their roles impressively, both in the singing stakes and the choreography. Some purists may not like this take on such a global phenomenon, but for me it proved to be the quickest two and a half hours I have spent in a theatre in a long time – I enjoyed it so much.

Verity Rushworth had big shoes to fill, but she has done so with aplomb. The whole cast has and I would now urge anyone who has not yet bought a ticket to see this show to do so without hesitation.